A firm’s brand image has to stand the test of time and be durable through different trends and changes, which emphasize the importance of following developments in the marketplace such as the emerging relevance of firm generated content on social media. With attitudes towards a product being lower in relation to the involvement regarding a product, the importance of establishing brand image for low-involvement product brands increases. With this in mind the purpose of this thesis was to explore how consumers’ brand image of low involvement products was affected by firm generated content on social media. This research provides insights on how brand image of a brand of a low involvement products is affected by firm generated content on social media. The study is based on existing research within brand image and was conducted through the use of a qualitative research approach using in-depth interviews as data collection method. The findings of this thesis suggest that consumers brand image is influenced by symbolic benefits where the benefits around the product are emphasized. A pattern could be seen where consumers emphasized symbolic benefits communicated through firm generated content on social media in a higher regard when the perceived functional benefits between brands were similar. This suggests that firm generated content of brands of low involvement products communicated on social media often seem to influence consumers perception of symbolic benefits in regards to favorability, strength and uniqueness of associations which in turn influence brand image.

This thesis examines the social and intellectual history of an apparently disparate group of voluntary associations and their members in Vancouver, British Columbia, 1886-1916. These associations sought to educate their own members, and often the general community, in the arts, in history, in science, in public affairs, and in matters of physical, vocational, and moral welfare. Vancouver's Art, Historical and Scientific Association, its natural history and literary societies, and its YMCA are central to the discussion. These associations' educational practices embodied a form of "intentional mutual enlightenment." The term refers to the non-formal education of adults through voluntary associations. Primarily through social, economic, intellectual, and political inferences from historical evidence, the thesis explains the meaning that "mutual enlightenment" had for participants. It pays attention to the contexts of late Victorian and Edwardian intellectual thought, and of British Columbia social and economic development. The thesis describes and explains both the reasons—stated and structural—for participants' involvement, and the social, political, and economic functions of the mutual enlightenment associations. To get at those reasons, the study examines interrelationships between ideas and their social circumstances, and how these inter-relationships gave rise to mutual enlightenment. Further, it examines mutual enlightenment (1) through an analysis of ten exemplar voluntary associations, (2) through a study of the ambient social structure and its reflection of and support for mutual enlightenment associations, and (3) through a conceptually satisfying definition of "intentional mutual enlightenment." The argument is this: the context largely determined, and now explains the nature of mutual enlightenment. Vancouver's social, political, and economic arrangements, and its residents' ideas, manners, tastes, and values accounted for the objectives, programmes, and membership of mutual enlightenment associations. Vancouver's intellectual climate and cultural forms had been imported primarily by middle-class residents from their original homes and homelands, mainly from Great Britain, or from Britain as modified through Central and Eastern Canadian experience. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Literature in business associations reveals an efficient confluence of business to provide member firms with benefits obtained from cooperation with other firms in the industry. They assist firms through knowledge building, knowledge deployment, and standard setting. They can particularly play an important role in the areas of market integration, source of information, lobbying for regulation, standard setting and policy. Studies have also shown that lack of political influence helps discourage good governance or the ability to manage public affairs and deliver basic services; when acting alone individual firms may not be capable of taking part effectively in the interchange with government. This study involved a qualitative study which consisted of case studies and in-depth face to face interviews with association and member companies’ executives that are actively involved in business association activities in the South African Steel industry. The study concluded that business associations arise for different reasons and in different environments, to assist business with meeting certain challenges; they can sometimes play a positive role by making up for failing development institutions but they can also be detrimental to social welfare because of rent-seeking behaviour. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This thesis investigates the relationship between the orientation of participants to voluntary associations and the orientation of associations to the wider society. By combining theoretical work from the field of voluntary associations with a theory of collective behaviour, a set of hypotheses is generated to analyze changes that have occurred it the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, a Canadian patriotic organization for women. A typology of voluntary associations is constructed, and a brief review of secondary sources shows the applicability of our theory to a wide range of voluntary social movements. The data used for this study includes association files, minutes, magazines and newspaper reports. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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